April Showers Bring May Flowers
by StarBlood666
Summary: April O'Neil and Casey Jones' daughter, May Rose Jones, is nothing like how her parents want her to be. She's gotten in trouble with the law many times, has three restraining orders against her, and an upcoming hearing. Somehow, May befriends Raphael, an old friend of her parents. Will the unlikely friendship turn sour when Raphael learns more about all the things May has done?
1. Chapter 1

May stomped to her room, slamming the door. Her father pounded on it with both fists.

"May! May, open up! RIGHT NOW!" Casey Jones shouted. May rolled her eyes to herself.

Her father, Casey Jones, was a police officer, and loved hockey. The problem was, May had gotten in trouble with the law several times before this.

Her mother, April, the reporter, eventually came to calm Casey down. May could hear their conversation through the door.

"What am I supposed to do with her, April? She has three restraining orders and a hearing next Tuesday!" Casey grumbled.

"I know, but do you think there might be a reason she acts like this?" April replied. May sighed. She couldn't listen to another lecture about how her mind works. She knew how her mind worked. If she wanted it, she stole it. If she couldn't steal it, she broke it. If anybody got in her way, she fought them, and usually won.

 _I don't have to stand for this!_ May thought, sliding open her window as quietly as possible and sneaking out onto the fire escape.

However, instead of climbing down to the sidewalk, May climbed up to the rooftop. She loved being up high, disappearing into the shadows, sneaking around and getting her way. Nothing could stop her, and nobody could defy her. Not when they were afraid of getting hurt, or killed.

The hearing May was supposed to go to had to do with "attempted murder". She had beat up an old man awhile back when he didn't give her the money in his cash register. Apparently, she had used "unnecessary violence", snapping his wrist and knocking him unconscious.

"Like they think I'm going to show up." May scoffed, jumping to the next roof, and the next one, and the next. She smiled to herself. This was so easy. Why didn't people do this more often?

May stopped just on the edge of a really tall building, overlooking the whole city. It was rather pretty at night, excepting the gang wars, mugging and so forth.

Gunshots suddenly sounded just below her.

"Speak of the devil!" May smiled, climbing down a fire escape to the alley. Sticking to the shadows, she watched as a group of ninjas shot down some gangsters. The lead ninja took a case out of one dead guy's coat. Opening it, he revealed tons of money to his friends. May's eyes sparkled.

 _That amount of money could buy me a lot of stuff..._ May thought. Then, common sense struck her.

 _I steal anything I want, so I don't need money. Besides, you really want to tangle with these goons?_ May gulped. She slowly snuck away... Or, she _tried_ to.

Walking backwards, May knocked over a trash can. The ninjas snapped to attention, and in hardly a second, May was surrounded by them. She gulped again.

The ninjas had guns, swords, ninja stars, the works. May had a small whittling knife that she took everywhere with her. Though it was always kept sharp, it was no match for these goons.

May took out her knife. It wasn't a weapon of mass destruction by any means, but it was all she had.

"Okay, you thugs. I know 29 ways to dislocate your shoulder. You do not want to mess with me!" May growled, as tough as she could. The ninjas moved closer, swords drawn and poised to strike.

"Uh... Maybe you do." May gulped.

She did the first thing that came to mind. She screamed.

The ninjas seemed undeterred. The lead ninja with the case held a scythe as tall as May was. He grabbed her wrist.

"You will not leave here alive, witness." The ninja pulled out a knife, and pressed it against her throat. May tried to fight back, but these guys were well-trained.

"HELP! Somebody, help me, please!" May screamed. Something was stuffed into her mouth. Tears streamed down her face. For the first time in her life, May was afraid.

May's vision blurred. She could hardly think straight as the ninjas overpowered her.


	2. Chapter 2

The ninjas had her overpowered, outmatched, and definitely outclassed. May gave in to the fight, hardly able to stand on her feet any longer.

All of a sudden...

"Back off, Rin!" A deep, gruff voice broke out over the chaos. The lead ninja dropped May. She crawled away, or tried to, but when she moved her right leg, a horrible pain shot up her thigh. May cried out.

Somebody, or something, picked May up and carried her away. Her eyes were watering and her vision was obstructed from the pain. She couldn't see what was happening, and she could only guess who her mysterious savior was.

"Are you okay, May?" The gruff voice asked her after a couple of minutes, setting her down on something hard.

"I think my leg is broken, but otherwise, I'm fine, and I did NOT need your help!" Stubborn May growled. Her eyes slowly opened again, the tears clearing. May looked around.

She was on the roof of her apartment building, sitting on a crate. Somebody sat next to her. She turned, unalarmed to the big man who was wearing, for some odd reason, a turtle costume, with a red mask and two sai.

"Okay, fine. I'll just put you back in an alley surrounded by ninjas. In this city, it's not hard to find them." The guy growled. May glared at him.

"I'm calling your bluff." She sneered. The big guy shrugged.

"Okay, which apartment is yours?" He asked. May suddenly realized what this was.

"You're working for my dad, aren't you?" She asked suspiciously. The costumed man shook his head.

"I don't work for anybody, May Rose Jones." The large man replied. May stared at him, startled to hear her full name said out loud.

"Then... Then how do you know my name?" May asked, stunned.

"I don't work for your dad, but I do know your parents." He replied.

"Prove it."

The man gazed at May for a moment, before asking a question of his own. "How are you talking to me so calmly? Why aren't you afraid of me?"

"Of a thug in a costume? You think you're the only one?" May rolled her eyes. What was this guy's deal, anyway?

"Ah." The big man smiled to himself. "Well, believe it or not, it's not a costume."

May narrowed her eyes. She didn't trust this guy. The way he talked to her like she was a little girl put her on edge.

"Prove it." May said again. "Prove that you know my parents. Prove that you aren't wearing a costume. Prove it."

"You want proof, huh? Okay, let's see... Your dad is a cop and has a hobby for hockey. His name is Casey Jones. Your mother is a reporter, has reddish-brown hair, and quite the attitude at times. Her name is April O'Neil-Jones. My little brother used to have a crush on her." The man replied.

"Anybody could tell me that from watching the news. And what about your costume?" May asked, suspicious.

"Well, I would tell you to pinch me and show you the bruise, but I don't bruise, so I'm not sure how to prove that to you."

May thought a moment. "What's your name?" She asked.

"Raphael." The man replied.

"Last name?" May persisted.

"You're going to try and search me up on a police sight, aren't you?" The large man replied. May nodded.

"What's your last name?"

The man was silent for a while. May just sat there staring at him.

"I'm a bit large to be a human being, aren't I?" He asked.

May considered this. Yes, he was rather big for a person, but there were may body builders and boss thugs that were much bigger than everybody else. _And yet,_ May thought, _Raphael is quite a bit bigger than even Top Dog._ Top Dog was the leader of a gang May used to belong to, until they learned her dad was a cop and her mom was a reporter. She had been kicked from the group.

"Do you have a last name?" May asked, a bit more sensitive this time. Raphael shook his head.

"O'Neil was the closest thing I've ever had to a last name." He admitted. May gasped.

"But... But that's my mom's last name!" She said. How could that work?

"I know. Your mom was a good friend of ours, almost like family." Raphael replied.

"What about your parents? Don't you have any?" May was now curious about this guy.

"My... Father. He's missing, though. We have no clue where he is."

May peered closely at the stranger. He appeared to be close to tears, but trying to hide it as best he could. She understood. She'd been there. Hurting, but not wanting to show your pain or appear weak.

Raphael took a deep breath. "Okay, kid, which apartment is yours?" He asked.

"I'm not telling." May stubbornly replied.

"Look, I'm not hanging out here all night! What apartment do you live in?" Raphael growled persistently.

To match his persistence, though, May was extremely stubborn and hard-headed. "Then go home. I'm not going to say where I live. I don't give out that data to strangers." May got into a lot of trouble, but she wasn't an idiot.

"I just saved your life! I think you owe me that much so I can get you home to your parents." Raphael growled. May crossed her arms.

"Forget it. I'm not going home." She said.

Raphael sighed. "Fine. You don't have to go home. Just tell me where you live so I can at least let your parents know you're alright, and then we'll discuss what to do with you, okay?"

"Promise you won't make me go home, or tell my parents exactly where I am, or where I'm going to be? Because the last thing I need right now is another lecture from my dad about getting into fights, or stealing, or something, and I definitely don't want to listen to another talk from my mom about how my head works, or how I need more 'support' from them. I'm better off calling my own shots." May raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, I promise." Raphael held out a hand. May shook it.

"My apartment is C11." May sighed. Raphael nodded, and disappeared down the side of the building, only to pop back up again.

"Which fire escape-"

May cut him off. "In the middle column, the second last one from the ground." She instructed. Raphael disappeared again. A shriek exploded in the still night air. May peered over the edge of the building.

"The window on the left!" She called down. Raphael moved over to the next window and opened it.

"My bedroom door is locked!" May yelled the last piece of advice, and dragged herself back to the crate.

About 5 or 6 minutes later, Raphael reappeared. "Okay, your parents know that you're okay. Apparently, I have to stay with you until you decide to go home, so I guess you're stuck with me, now." He reported.

May rolled her eyes. Of course her parents made her stay with a babysitter. What else could she expect?

"Fine. Whatever." May sighed.

"Maybe we should get somebody to take care of your leg first." Raphael said thoughtfully.

"Fine. Whatever." May shrugged.

Raphael moved closer to May so fast and unexpectedly that she instinctively punched his face.

Rubbing his cheek, Raphael glared at May. "What the heck did you do that for?" He demanded angrily.

"Sorry. That was instinct." May admitted. Raphael scoffed.

"Right. Anyway, I'm going to take you to get your leg patched up. No more hitting me, okay?"

"Yeah." May replied. She hadn't really meant to hit him. It was an accident.

Raphael sighed, picked May up, and carried her across the rooftops. May wondered where they were going. Lots of thing crossed her mind, but she wasn't prepared for when Raphael suddenly changed directions from forward to straight down. Landing in a darkened alleyway, Raphael put May on the ground long enough to move the manhole cover. He then carried her down into the sewers.

"Shouldn't you put the manhole cover back on?" May asked as they continued down a long tunnel.

"Nah, somebody else'll find it and put it back." Raphael said, turning the corner.

May thought that he'd slipped, but Raphael had jumped down onto his shell, and they were now sliding down the pipes at an incredibly nauseating speed.

May groaned when they finally stopped. She wanted to throw up, but at the same time, something told her it was a bad idea.

"You okay?" Raphael asked, seeing her suddenly pail face. May nodded.

"I never liked roller-coasters that much." She admitted. Raphael laughed.

"Welcome to my place." He said, setting May down on a huge chair.

May gasped. The place was enormous. Her jaw dropped, as her eyes tried to take it all in. Anything that would make this a teenage warrior's paradise was here, and then some.

"What do you think?" Raphael asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling slyly.

May wanted to express what she really thought, but the only thing that could escape her lips was a breathless "Wow."


	3. Chapter 3

May gasped in awe, turning her head all over the place, trying to get a good view of everything. There was a whole wall of weapons, a huge computer, six TV screens, an area in the center with candles on it, so on and so forth. May didn't know what the candles were for, but she didn't really care.

"This... This is... Wow." May stuttered.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Not the same as it used to be awhile back, but it's home." Raphael nodded.

He gave May a few more minutes to soak everything in, before picking her up and carrying her to a couch in front of two of the TV screens.

"You rest here. I'll go get Donatello." Raphael started to leave, but turned around quickly in a second.

"Oh, and if anybody asks about you, like why you're here and who you are, just say you are April O'Neil's daughter, and that you're with me. If the turtle that asks you is wearing a blue mask, don't answer any other questions." Raphael added, leaving the room.

Hardly 5 minutes after Raphael left, just as he had predicted, another large turtle saw May, and asked her who she was. The turtle's voice wasn't as gruff as Raphael's, instead sounding a little higher and less intimidating, but it was still hard as stone and cold as ice when talking to her. This turtle wore glasses, and had a lot of tech stuff on his shell and head, making it kind of hard to see his mask, but May was certain it wasn't blue.

"Hey! I asked you a question! Who are you, and how did you get here?" The turtle repeated. May did what she always did when being interrogated. She shut off any ability to show her fear.

"My name is May. My mother is April O'Neil-Jones from Channel 6 news. Raphael brought me here, because my leg is broken and I can't walk." May answered exactly how Raphael had told her to, keeping a piercing glare on her face.

"And where is Raphael?" Another voice echoed behind her, with a pitch in between Raphael's and this turtle with lots of tech on his shell. May turned to see two more turtles, one with an orange mask, looking like he couldn't care less, and one with a steely expression on his face, wearing the blue mask that Raphael had warned May about.

May shrugged. This was definitely going to get the turtle mad at her, but she was told not to say anything else.

"That's not an answer." The blue turtle growled. The orange masked turtle quickly cut in.

"Wait, O'Neil-Jones? You mean, April chose Casey Jones over me?" He sighed.

"Mikey, that's not important." The tech clad turtle rolled his eyes.

"Still... I even told her where my secret stash of Orange Crush is hidden..." The orange masked turtle, Mikey, sighed.

"It was never meant to be, bro." The tech covered turtle put a hand on Mikey's shoulder.

The blue masked turtle bent down in front of May, ignoring the other two. "Where is Raphael? You'd better answer directly and honestly." He was very close. May could smell pizza in his breath.

"Or else what?" May asked daringly. The blue turtle's teeth clenched.

"Where's... My... Brother?" He asked quietly, but aggravated and impatiently.

"I'm not telling you anything." May hissed in reply.

"A tough girl, huh? Well, I got ways to make a tough girl talk." The turtle stood up and pulled a katana blade from out of a sheathe attached to his shell. He pointed the blade at May's throat. She stared back, unafraid, not talking and undeterred.

"Leo! Stop! She's a kid! And she's injured!" The turtle with all the tech on him spoke up. The blue masked turtle pulled back his sword, and put it away.

May could barely believe it, or understand it. Nobody had defended her like that before. Nobody had ever spoken up on her behalf. Not even her mother, who was always trying to calm her dad down. She thought for a moment. Was it a good idea to ask them about themselves? She decided to ask just for their names. It was all she was really curious about, anyways.

"So... You're Mikey..." May pointed at the orange clad turtle. "And you're Leo..." She added pointing at the blue masked turtle. "And I've met Raphael, so... Who are you?" May turned to the tech covered turtle. Close up, she could see his mask was purple, and his eyes were a golden brown color.

"Oh, their actual names are Michelangelo and Leonardo. Mikey and Leo are just nicknames. My name is Donatello." The turtle replied.

"Ohh... Now that makes sense." May wondered aloud, putting two and two together.

"What makes sense?" Michelangelo asked.

"He's the smart guy, right?" May countered the question.

The three nodded. May took a deep breath.

"RAPHAEL!" She screamed, startling the turtles. Donatello rubbed his ear.

"What'd you do that for?" Leonardo asked, uncovering his own ears, and drawing his blade again, pointing it back at her throat.

A moment later, Leonardo was thrown backwards, Michelangelo was flat on his shell, and Raphael stood between them and May, his sai out and poised to fight.

"What the heck is wrong with you, Leo? She's a kid! And she's hurt!" Raphael growled angrily, walking up to Leonardo and getting in his face.

Again, it startled May how Raphael defended her. Her father had never even done that to anybody. He'd never tried to help her, and yet, already two of these turtles, who May had only just met a few minutes ago, were fighting for her, defending her.

 _They don't know me, that's why._ May thought. _They don't know what I've done, or where I've been._

May had only called Raphael to tell him that she had found Donatello, the guy he was looking for, but it still satisfied her to watch this blue masked turtle get beat up.

"May, did he hurt you?" Raphael asked, sitting down on the couch beside her. She shook her head.

"No. I'm fine." May replied, flinching slightly when Donatello squeezed her hurt thigh.

"Yeah, it's definitely broken. Mikey, you want to go up to my lab and grab the blue kit? Not the one with tools in it, the other one." Donatello instructed without looking up. Michelangelo disappeared.

"So, um... How are you... I mean, what..." May tried to think of a way to ask her question without being insulting. "Where did you four... come from?"

The turtles looked at each other. Donatello took a deep breath.

"That's a rather long story..." He muttered shyly.

"I've got time! Unless, I mean, if you don't want to tell me. That's okay too." May shriveled back, to her own surprise. She hadn't ever acted like that before.

"Well... It all really started when a little girl got four box turtles for pets. Her father and his colleagues ran tests on them... On us..." Raphael started.

"Oh, sorry... If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. I was just... just curious." May gulped.

"It's not that. It's just... We don't know the story very well ourselves..." Donatello admitted, as Michelangelo reappeared with the blue case.

"What are we talking about?" The orange clad turtle asked.

"Your backstory." May replied.

"Anyway, there was another animal there too. A rat, who the girl named Splinter. The girl, well, she was called April O'Neil. Your mom." Raphael continued. "She'd given us all our names, after renaissance artists. I don't really know why, but she did. Everyday, her dad's partner, Saks, would give us injections with green ooze in it. You grandfather would make sure we were healthy, and April would bring us special treats, like pizza.

"Then, one day, everything went wrong. Mr. O'Neil had discovered the truth about Saks, and who he was really working for. He set the lab on fire, destroying documents and years of research. Saks shot him, but it was already too late." Raphael took a deep breath.

Donatello continued. "Splinter told us that we were saved from the fire by a great guardian spirit, a Hogo-sha."

"Turns out, your mother was the Hogo-sha." Leonardo remembered, smiling.

"She saved our lives from that fire, at the risk of her own. 15 years later, she saved our shells again." Donatello added.

"After a little while, a few days after the fire, we started to mutate, change, and grow. Splinter raised us, and took care of us. Eventually, he found a ninjutsu book in the sewers, first teaching himself the art. We followed his lead, learning really fast." Michelangelo finished.

Raphael eyed May. "Breathe." He told her.

It was at that moment that May realized she had been holding her breath. Allowing her lungs to work again, May turned to Raphael.

"Wait, so, why wouldn't my parents ever tell me about you guys?" May asked, angrily.

"Would you have believed them?" Donatello asked, finishing patching May's leg up.

"No, I would have yelled at them that they were liars, and then tell whatever gang I'm in at the time that my parents have gone senile." May replied, then slapped her hand over her mouth.

 _Smooth, Big-Mouth!_ She thought. These guys trusted her without question because of her parents. Did she really want them to know that she rebelled against her parents (and the law) any chance she got?

"So what gang are you in now?" Leonardo asked suspiciously.

May gulped. "None right now." She replied.

"Kind of hard to stay in a gang with the parents you got, huh?" Leonardo pressed on.

 _Okay, now he's just trying to get under my skin._ May thought. She turned off her emotions, both the ability to feel them, and her ability to show them.

"Leave her alone, Leo! She's been through enough as it is." Raphael intercepted. For the third time that day, and in her whole life, May was being defended, and she was completely surprised by it.

"Um... Your parents at least know you're with us, right?" Donatello asked. May nodded.

"My parents made Raphael babysit me. As if they think I can't take care of myself." She rolled her eyes.

"Not without reason, though." Raphael added. "Your father told me you had a knack for trouble. Add that to having been nearly killed by the Foot clan, and I think your parents were right to tell me to watch you."

May sheepishly hung her head. How foolish she had been, trusting this turtle and thinking he trusted her. Of course he didn't. Not if he had been talking to her parents. Her mother and father would have told him everything they could. They had probably instructed him to keep as short a leash on their daughter as possible. The fact that he was a ninja didn't help at all. It would be harder to sneak away if she had to.

"It's getting late. I'm going to bed." Michelangelo announced. Donatello nodded in agreement, and followed Mikey to their beds. Leonardo pulled Raphael aside.

They spoke in whispers too quiet for May to listen in on, though she tried, as hard as she could. After Leonardo left, claiming sleepiness like the others, Raphael disappeared, leaving May alone on the couch.

Two minutes later, Raphael came back, carrying two pillows and some blankets.

"Here. You'll sleep on the couch tonight. Unless you want me to take you home?" Raphael dumped the load next to May.

"No way. I would rather sleep on an old couch in the sewers than go home right now. But thanks." May replied, picking up the pillow and pulling the blankets over her.

"If you need anything, just holler, okay?" Raphael said, turning toward the beds. "Goodnight."

"Night." May called groggily. It was only then that she realized just how tired she really was.

With a huge yawn, May fell asleep on the couch. Going home, facing her parents, her ability to trust Raphael and his brothers all washed away with the deep sleep that succumbed her.


	4. Chapter 4

May woke up to a delicious smell.

"What's that?" May asked, sitting up.

Raphael suddenly appeared, holding what looked like a makeshift pair of crutches.

"What's what?" He asked, sitting on the couch next to her.

"That smell. It smells delicious." May replied.

Raphael raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you ever had waffles before?"

"My parents don't bother making me breakfast. I usually grab some toast or a muffin or something, like, hours before they wake up." May replied. _Seriously? Girl, shut up!_ May thought, wanting to kick herself.

"Anyway, here." Raphael handed May the wooden crutches. "Donnie figured it's better if you could move around yourself rather than one of us carrying you everywhere."

"Oh... Okay. Thanks." May used the crutches to steady herself.

Hobbling after Raphael, May emerged into a kitchen-like area where there were plates piled high with bacon, waffles, pancakes, and so on.

"What do you want to eat?" Raphael asked her.

A little later, as May gulped down some bacon, she thought about how weird the past day had been. Not so much the turtles-living-in-the-sewers thing, but the fact that she had been defended three times, accepted and trusted without question, and now how the turtles were taking care of her, making her food and actually letting her eat it, without contradicting her manners at the table, or silently judging everything she did and later telling her it was wrong.

After breakfast, Raphael turned to May. "Ready to go home yet?" He asked.

"No way." May crossed her arms.

"You sure? Your parents might get worried."

May laughed. "Worried? MY parents? Yeah, right. I'm not going home. Not for a long time." She glared at Raphael.

"If you're sure, then whatever." Raphael rolled his eyes.

May rolled her eyes right back and scoffed. Nobody else could ever get the last word around her. She never let them.

Later that night, after the sun went down, Raphael asked again whether May was ready to go home.

"NO! Quit asking me! I don't want to go home! EVER!" May screamed at him. She was not, in any way, ready to go back home to parents who didn't care whether or not she was in jail or locked in her room.

"I was just asking, because right now, it's either came up to the surface for a while or go home." Raphael growled, clearly ticked.

"Why?" May's curiosity just kind of popped out.

"Because I'm going up for a run, and your parents told me to keep a tight leash on you." Raphael really sounded like he would rather do anything but keep May around.

"Must everything I do be affected by my stupid parents!?" May shouted, more to herself than anybody else.

"Yes. Yes, it must." Raphael replied. Without warning, he picked May up in his arms and started to carry her into the sewers.

May cursed herself. Great. Now the little trust trip was over. Raphael was going to take her home, back to a dad who wished she were somebody completely different, and a mom who would rather be talking about criminal activity on television than worry about whether or not her daughter would end up going to jail, or something like that.

 _In fact, I'll bet they would rather pretend I didn't even exist than actually go to the trial, anyway._ May thought, as Raphael set her down to open the manhole cover.

Once they got to the rooftops, Raphael stopped at May's apartment building. Gunshots echoed nearby.

Raphael put May down on the overturned crate and disappeared down the side of the building for a moment.

When he reappeared, he picked May up, brought her down to her window, carried her inside, and set her down on her bed.

"Listen, I'm going to check out those gunshots. Both of your parents are in bed, and the door to your room is locked. Make as little noise as you can. I'll be right back."

"You aren't going to leave me here, are you?" May asked, her eyes widening. She could just imagine the lecture and the yelling that Casey Jones was probably itching to dish out on her.

"No. I promise, I'll be right back." Raphael climbed out the window and closed it quietly.

May waited for what felt like hours for Raphael to return. Suddenly, something fell onto the fire escape just outside her window. May turned to look out the window.

"Raphael!" She whispered, as the huge turtle climbed into her room.

"Can you lock this window?" Raphael asked, not turning around.

May nodded. "Yeah, that little white latch there."

After Raphael had locked the window, he closed the curtains tightly, so nobody on the outside could look in.

When he finally did turn around, May gasped. He had cuts on his face that were bleeding quite a lot, and his arm had a wound that was bleeding heavily enough that May couldn't see where the actual wound was.

"Y-you're hurt!" May gasped, as Raphael stumbled onto the bed.

"Smart conclusion." He replied sarcastically.

May grabbed a shirt that she never wore and pressed it to Raphael's arm, trying to control the bleeding a little bit, at least. Raphael eyed her curiously as she tied the shirt around his arm like a bandage.

"Why... Why are you doing that?" He asked suddenly.

"Huh?" May was slightly startled by the question.

"Why are you doing that? Helping me?" Raphael repeated.

May shrugged. "Because... B-because... Because you're my... My friend." The word surprised even herself. May had never had a real friend before. Ever.

Raphael smiled weakly. "R-really?" He asked.

"I... I don't really know. I don't even know what a friend really is." May admitted. Some part of her wanted somebody to slap her back to her senses. She was opening up to Raphael, to somebody who was in close contact with her parents, but, at the same time, she enjoyed Raphael's trust, and his company.

 _What the heck is wrong with me?!_ May thought, confused.

Raphael lay down on the bed. He looked really tired.

"Hey, are you okay?" May asked, noticing the shirt wrapped around his arm was slowly turning dark crimson.

"I... Y-yeah... I'm g-good." Raphael groaned.

May grabbed a big blue bath towel that had been in her room for awhile. Moving along on the bed, she handed Raphael the towel, instructing him to clean the blood from his face. Raphael moaned in reply.

When he handed the towel back, May then unwrapped the shirt from around his arm. Taking a look at it, she gasped.

The cut was huge and really deep, deep enough that May almost swore she could see bone, just before it started to bleed heavily again. Quickly, May wrapped and tied the bath towel around Raphael's arm.

"We need to get you to Donatello! Right now!" May started to panic.

"H-how? You... You can't w-walk, and I... I can't move v-very well." Raphael mumbled.

 _Oh my God, he's getting worse! What do I do?!_ May worried.

"Your... Your p-parents..." Raphael stuttered quietly, as though he could hear her thoughts.

"My... My parents?" May gulped. Did she dare wake them? Would they really understand?

 _Raphael was their ally first. He said that Mom used to be like part of his family._ May sighed. She had no choice. She couldn't let Raphael die. Not when he had done so much for her. Trusted her with almost no question. Taken care of her when she was injured. Defended her from his own brother. And saved her life.

That was the thought that kept repeating. _He had saved my life._ That was all she could think about.

May sighed, and decided to swallow her pride. Somehow dragging herself to the door and unlocking it, May started to yell.

"Mom! MOM! DAD! HELP! Help us!" May slowly counted to 60, before yelling again.

"MOMMY! DADDY!" Tears started to fall as she screamed for her parents. As, for the first time in a very, very long time, she asked her mother and father, two people she trusted the least, for help.

Two excruciatingly long minutes later, Casey Jones and April O'Neil-Jones finally appeared in her doorway. Her mother gasped as she saw the giant turtle laying on May's bed.

"Raphael!" She cried rushing to his side, as Casey turned to May. Helping her stand, Casey gently brought her to the chair that sat in front of May's disastrously messy desk.

"May, what happened?" Her father asked. May gulped as she tried to control her crying.

"He... he just put me down f-for a minute to go check out some gunshots... And when he came back he locked the window and closed the curtains. H-he... He was bleeding, and... And I tried to help, b-but I couldn't do anything." May watched as her mother gently removed the bath towel to check out Raphael's arm.

"That's really deep." April sounded extremely worried as she rewrapped the towel around his arm.

"We need to get him to Donatello, ASAP." May tried to keep the panic out of her voice.

"Casey, take May and go start the car. I'll take Raphael down." April put a hand on the unconscious turtle's forehead.

May wasn't sure how her mother did it, but somehow she did. A little while later, Casey was driving the sleek black Chrysler down the street to the manhole cover closest to the turtles' lair, where April had phoned Raphael's family to meet them.

May sat in the back seat, Raphael's head on her lap. _Please be okay. Please, please, please be okay._ May thought, worry being the only thing that was on her mind.

May suddenly realized. She was actually worried. _I don't understand... I've never been worried. Not like this._ May shook Raphael gently. He groaned, but otherwise, nothing.

"Dad, drive faster!" May shouted to the front seat.

"I can only drive the speed limit! Getting pulled over would be costing us more than an extra twenty minutes!" Casey shouted back.

"Not now!" April yelled at Casey.

May ignored them both. A million thoughts were running through her head as her father finally pulled up to the alleyway.

"Raphael!"

"Oh, God, what happened?!"

Raphael's worried family gently pulled him out of the car.

"Thank you, April. And Casey." Donatello nodded solemnly.

"Don't thank us." April smiled. "May's the one who told us what had happened."

May shivered as the turtles thanked her.

"Please... Make sure he's okay." May squeaked, surprising both of her parents, who had never heard May care about anybody besides herself.

"I'll do my best." Donatello called as Casey drove April and May home.

All through the drive, May just stared straight ahead. She hoped beyond all hope that Raphael was okay, or at least alive. She could feel her parents watching her, but she didn't care.

Once they got home, Casey helped May back up to her room, leaving her on her bed.

As soon as her father left, May turned to the calendar. That hearing was in about 4 days. A nauseous feeling grew in her stomach. What if Raphael found out about that hearing? What if he already knew?

 _Would he still want to be my friend?_ May thought, the nauseous feeling getting worse.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's note: Hey, guys! Sorry this chapter took so long. I got busy with other stuff and kinda got distracted. So, here it is. PS: Some of you are going to KILL me for this!**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

It was a month after the court hearing. May's leg was almost completely healed, except for a slight limp that she would have for a while.

May was sitting on her bed, thinking about the only thing she thought about these days:

Raphael.

She hadn't seen him since before her hearing, and she hadn't heard anything, either. Donatello had phoned Casey and April two weeks ago, but May didn't know what it was about. Her parents didn't say anything about it.

May had tried to listen in on part of the conversation, but she hadn't heard enough to tell. All she knew was, her parents knew if Raphael was still alive or not, and they weren't saying anything to May.

Sighing, May stared at the mechanism around her leg. From the hearing, under Youth Justice, May had been sentenced to a year's house arrest. The band on her leg was electric, and it knew. It knew if she had it on or off. It knew if she was home or not. Even if she tried sneaking through her window, it would know she was somewhere she wasn't supposed to be. It knew the time as well, and sent out a message to the police if she wasn't at home by 7:30. That was her curfew. She wasn't aloud outside again until 8:00 in the morning.

May was sure it even knew whether she was awake or asleep. The electric band was so creepy. And, not to mention, it rubbed and chafed horribly against her leg.

"It's definitely going to be red and sore when I finally get to take this thing off." May grumbled. A sudden tapping on her window caught May's attention.

The curtains were closed, but May could see a large shape silhouetted by the street lights and the bright moon. Whoever or whatever it was kept tapping.

May cautiously limped over to the window, uncertain. The figure on the other side of the curtain shifted a little, and pulled backwards slightly from the window. She couldn't be sure, but for just a minute, the figure looked a little bit like a huge turtle.

May slowly pulled aside the curtain, her heart in her mouth. Sure enough, peering into the window was...

"Raphael!" May cried happily, unlatching the window and throwing it open.

"Hi. Can I come in?" Raphael smiled.

May nodded, noticing a huge scar on his arm as he sat down on her bed. She sat next to him.

"So, what's new?" Raphael asked, ruffling May's hair.

"See you've gotten better." May elbowed Raphael's side. Yes, she hated it when people touch her hair, but this was more of a playful elbow in the side, not defensive or fighting kind of elbowing.

Raphael nodded, still smiling. "Well, you're still limping, so you really can't have gotten better at all."

May rolled her eyes. She enjoyed Raphael's company more than that of any human, even if he did annoy her a little bit.

"So, you ended up with house arrest, huh? That sucks." Raphael's smile vanished, replaced by a look that May couldn't read, something along the lines of disappointment, but also, something else.

May nodded sheepishly. "It's really not that bad, I guess." She replied, looking down at her leg band.

Raphael took a deep breath. "May, what did you do, anyway? They don't hand out house arrest for just anything."

May coughed. "Um... Basically, I tried to steal from this old guy, and I knocked him out. Apparently, it counts for 'attempted murder'." She replied, trying to keep it a little light-hearted.

Didn't work.

"It's not a joke. If you were charged with attempted murder, they sure let you off easy." Raphael crossed his arms.

Now May could see what other look was in his eyes. She had seen it in others' fathers when they did something wrong. It was the look of "Even though you screwed up, I still love you."

She had never seen it in her own father's eyes.

May hung her head. Raphael was clearly not happy about the sentence, but he had the look that was of unconditional love. Which irked May, because if this turtle, whom she barely knew, cared about her even after everything she'd done, then shouldn't her own father? Shouldn't Casey care that way?

"I'm sorry."

The words just leaped out of May's mouth, like she couldn't control them. Like her voice was no longer her own, but some stranger's.

Raphael put a hand on May's shoulder. "Don't say sorry to me. None of this affected me." He squeezed her shoulder gently.

Something weird was going on. May's eyes were starting to tear up.

Next thing she knew, May was crying, and Raphael was holding her closer, like he was trying to comfort her.

 _He's hugging me. When was the last time anybody ever did that?_ May realized. There was something about this turtle that May trusted wholeheartedly.

Suddenly, a phone rang, breaking up the moment. Raphael answered it quickly before April or Casey could hear.

May didn't pay attention to the conversation. Not this time.

"May... I gotta go. I'll drop by later?"

"Yeah. Whenever you want."

Raphael grinned, and climbed out through the window, disappearing into the dark, cool night.

May leaned on her window sill and sighed. How she missed the cool night air, the freedom of moving in the shadows, everything that was taken away from her at the moment.

 _Great. 11 more months of this and I'm gonna go crazy._


	6. Chapter 6

Raphael stopped by to visit May almost every night. For some reason, she always felt better when he was there, as opposed to the usual annoyance she had with anybody's company.

About a month and a half after Raphael had first returned, he disappeared again.

It was driving May crazy.

She had become so accustomed every night to coming home, doing homework (or what little homework she perceived as important), eating supper and then returning to her room to find Raphael either at the window or already in her room.

Over a week passed before that familiar red-masked hotheaded turtle reappeared at her window. May hugged him, which surprised her as much as it did Raphael.

"Where have you been?!" May demanded, distracting from the awkward moment.

Raphael sighed, and sat down on the bed, looking tired, upset, and a little sick.

"A-are you okay?" May asked, worried.

Raphael shook his head. "My... Father... He's been gone for over two months... I'm worried about him. We all are."

"What's he look like? Maybe I can help." May offered.

"A huge rat."

May rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah. _That's_ something you never see in New York. Big rats."

Raphael glared at May for a second, but then his face softened, as though he was too tired to be mad at May.

May thought. She was sure she hadn't seen any rats like that. Any that were bigger than usual, anyway.

"I don't think I've seen anything like that..."

"I didn't expect you to." Raphael turned to leave.

"Wait, you're leaving already?" May was disappointed, more than she would admit.

"Yeah. Maybe I'll be able to find something." Raphael climbed out the window.

May watched him leave and sighed, closing the window and curtains. She looked around her dark bedroom. Her lonely jail cell. As dreary as any jail cell. It was made more so for May because she had never and could never trust her parents, and her only friend in all the world could only visit her at night, and only for a little while at a time before he had to leave again.

She flopped onto her bed.

"I'm going to go insane soon."

* * *

Raphael looked around the city, and finally, after five or maybe six hours, climbed up the Chrysler building.

"DAAAAAAD!" He shouted, and then sat in the dark, cold silence, no sound but for the echo of his cry and the usual city sounds; honking horns, police sirens, somebody's car alarm in the distance...

Raphael didn't know why, but the last two made him think of May. May Rose Jones, delinquent daughter of April and (ugh) Casey.

Raphael allowed a small smile, thinking about the girl. It was ironic. Her father was a cop, she was the kind that he hunted down and stopped, the kind Raphael would normally beat unconscious and tie up for the cops. And yet, Raphael allowed himself to admit, she was his best friend.

After an hour or so of being lost in his own thoughts, Raphael headed home, tired, hungry, and cold. It was a chilly night, and he was shivering with cold.

Raphael suddenly stopped, noticing something interesting. A break-in.

"Well, I got time." He shrugged, jumping down to the alley.

The thugs weren't hard, and Raphael barely broke a sweat. He was tying them up when he noticed a microchip in the pocket of one.

He took the chip and finished tying up the thugs, making his way home.

"Hey, Geek! I got you a present." Raphael tossed Donnie the microchip, and went off to the kitchen for some pizza, assuming Mikey hadn't eaten it all.

"Hi, Shell-brain. Got any left?" He asked, sitting next to Mikey, who was trying to shove three consecutive pieces of pizza into his mouth. Mikey pushed the pizza box toward Raphael.

As Raphael was about to bite into his second slice, Donnie started shouting, startling both Raphael and Mikey and causing them both to drop their pizza.

"Raph! Leo, Mike! Get in here, guys!"

Raphael and Mikey ran for the lab. Leonardo was already there.

"What?" Raphael growled.

"Where'd you get this chip?" Donnie asked.

"It was in the pocket of some guys that were robbing a place. Why?"

"Because this thing is full of information on a gang called... The Purple Dragons. They're hunting... May Rose Jones. Isn't that April and Casey's kid?" Donnie asked.

"Yeah..."

"They're going to try breaking into her apartment. Tonight!" Donnie gulped.

Raphael clenched his fists. "That's what _they_ think. Come on, Donnie. Let's go."

The two turtles raced each other to the apartment complex. Raphael tapped on May's window.

No answer.

 _Come on! Please..._ Raphael thought, tapping a little louder.

Finally, the curtains and window opened.

"Tap any louder and you'll wake the whole household." May smirked.

"Yeah, well, we have bigger problems." Raphael entered the window, Donnie right behind him. May cocked her head in question when she saw the second turtle.

"Donnie, can you get that thing off?" Raphael asked.

Donnie kneeled down in front of May. She sat on the bed and lifted the ankle, making it easier for Donnie to work.

The genius turtle scrutinized the band. "Yeah, but I'll need a laptop, an empty USB, and a flat screwdriver." He nodded.

"My PC's on my desk, I have three USB sticks in the box next to it. My toolbox is in my closet on the top." May pointed out the objects.

Raphael grabbed the toolbox as May logged Donnie into her computer. Donnie started creating a program and putting it onto the USB, which he then plugged into the band around May's ankle. The stick beeped twice, meaning the program was a success. Donnie then used the flat screwdriver to pop the band open, which he then clipped around the waist of one of May's teddy bears.

"Okay, first we get you someplace safe, then we call April and Casey and explain." Donnie explained.

May nodded, following the turtles out the window. Her leg was red and sore, as she had predicted. She looked over her shoulder back at the apartment complex and smiled.

 _Ah... Freedom._ She thought, chasing after Donatello and Raphael.


	7. Chapter 7

When they got to the lair, Donnie grabbed his phone and called April. Raphael explained to May why they had just broken her out of house arrest.

"The Purple Dragons? But... Why would they want me?" May asked.

"I don't know. Did you used to be part of that gang or something?" Raphael suggested.

May shook her head. "That's the thing. I've never heard of them before."

"Are you sure?" Leonardo asked. May nodded.

Raphael crouched so he was eye-level with May.

"May, listen. We need the truth, okay? Promise that you have no clue about this gang?"

May nodded. "I promise. I've never heard of them before."

"You aren't lying?"

"No. I'm not." May couldn't blame the turtle's skepticism. She understood, and she had promised to herself that she wouldn't lie or cheat Raphael. She wanted his trust and was willing to do what it took to get it.

Raphael nodded, straightening up again. Leo pulled him aside for a whispered conversation.

Raphael suddenly pushed his brother. It turned into a wrestling match.

May watched, standing next to Mikey, wondering why they were fighting, and what Leo could have said to spark such a flame of anger as was now in Raphael's eyes.

"Guys... Guys, come on. Stop." Donnie sighed.

Raphael got off Leo and growled, stomping out of the room. May followed.

"What's the matter? What did he say?" She asked.

"Never mind." Raphael shook his head.

May raised an eyebrow but didn't press the matter further. She didn't want to upset Raphael any more than he already was.

"So... Is this your bedroom?" She asked, changing the subject, looking around the room. It was more of a nook than a room. It had a bunk bed, drums on the left and weights everywhere.

"Yeah. Sorta." Raphael shrugged.

"Didn't know you played the drums."

"They're Mike's." Raphael lept up to the top bunk.

"Oh..." May nodded, noting the orange tape around the drumsticks.

Donnie entered. "Hey, guys. I called May's parents. They're going to Casey's Grandma's old farmhouse for now until we figure out and stop the threat from the Purple Dragons. They wanted me to tell Raph that his job is to keep a close eye on May, 24/7. Can you do that, or do you want to switch out with us?"

Raphael shrugged. "I'm good."

May didn't say anything, but she was slightly offended by the way Donnie talked about her as though she wasn't even there.

When Donnie left, Raphael instructed May to stay in the room, and he left for a few minutes.

After a bit, she could hear him just outside the door, arguing with Leo. They were both apparently extremely pissed at each other.

"Leave her alone!"

"How can you trust her?! How can you possibly believe her?!" Leo growled.

"Shut it, Leo! You know nothing about her!"

"Yeah, well, neither do you! What if the whole Purple Dragons thing is a setup? What if she knows the gang? What if she's _part_ of that gang?"

"She's not-"

"How do you know? Because _she_ told you?! Can you honestly, sincerely tell me that May is telling the truth?" Leo demanded.

Raphael was quiet. May silently willed him to say yes or to growl at Leo that he had a gut feeling or something that she could be trusted, but... he didn't.

"That's what I thought. She's a liar, a criminal, and she can't be trusted." Leo started to walk away.

May tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but she couldn't. She fought the tears in her eyes.

The door handle turned, then stopped. May heard Raph sigh, and then he left, leaving the door closed.

 _Phew._ May thought, glad she had a few minutes to pull herself together. She didn't want Raphael to see her crying or upset. She wasn't a weakling or a crybaby.

 _I just have to try harder. I **will** gain his trust. I swear. _


	8. Chapter 8

Leonardo snarled. For once, he couldn't understand why Raph was being so hard. Raph, who was usually the first to punch _then_ ask questions, trusted this kid, May, who clearly had a history of gangs and breaking the law. Even though her parents were Casey Jones and April O'Neil, Leo couldn't trust her.

He growled, watching them talk happily as though she weren't _everything_ he and his brothers stood against.

"Leo?" Donnie came up to him. "What's on your mind?"

"Traitors," Leo spoke loud enough for everybody to hear. "And how easily they disguise themselves as trustworthy." Leo made direct eye contact with May, before turning towards Donnie.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Donnie nodded. Leo smiled. His brother got him. He always did.

Leo could feel Raph's glare on his back, but he ignored it. _Raph_ was being the stupid one. _Raph_ was being the naive on. Leo hadn't done anything wrong, and he couldn't wait for May to strike. He hoped he would be there to gloat about how he, as usual, had been right this whole time.

Raph stood. "I'm going out. May, you coming?"

"Yeah." The girl stood to follow. Her puppy eyes made Leonardo sick. He had to hand it to her, she was a good actress.

"I'm coming with you." Leo told them. Raph looked ready to argue, but he held back."Fine."

They left. Leo kept behind Raph and May. He noticed how May kept behind Raph. He wasn't turning his back to her, not for one second.

The city was fairly quiet. Raph seemed to move with a purpose. Leo wondered what was on his mind. His brother knew where he was going. When they got to a certain street, Raph stopped heading for a destination and started aimlessly looking around the city.

With a pang to his heart, Leo understood. He had assumed Raph had gone out every night just to visit May, but he was wrong. Any time Raph was spending with May had to have been fairly short, hardly an hour or so. Raph had really been combing the city for any signs of Splinter. He had already checked the neighbourhoods they had passed through earlier.

May suddenly gave a cry of alarm. Leo followed her line of gaze and saw what she was looking at. Raph saw it, too.

"Foot."

"Fuck."

Eight or nine Foot soldiers were headed straight for them. The turtles braced themselves. "May, run." Raph instructed.

"No."

" _Now_ , Jones!" He snarled.

May turned to run. Even she was smart enough to listen to Raph when he took on that tone.

Leo stood side-to-side with his younger brother, pulling out his katana blade, poised for the fight.


	9. Chapter 9

May ran. She didn't want to leave Raphael and Leonardo behind to fight the battle, but when Raphael took on that tone of voice, you listened.

She didn't stop running until she was on the verge of exhaustion, when her legs refused to keep going and she collapsed.

May looked around. She was far from the fight. She wasn't sure exactly where. She grabbed her phone to call somebody but stopped herself when she realized there was nobody she _could_ call. Her parents couldn't help her, and the only turtle who was on her contacts list was Raphael. He was fighting, he couldn't pick up.

May shivered, realizing she was alone. This was bad. Very bad.

After a few hours, she stood again, shakily, and started wandering around a bit. She needed to get her bearings.

May called Raphael, certain that he would have taken care of the ninjas that had attacked them. No answer.

"That's worrying..." May muttered. Now what?

She wandered a bit more. There was a pizzeria nearby, Antoine's. Okay. That was good. That meant she can't have been more than a few blocks from the entrance to the turtle's lair. She had to get the others to help.

May climbed down into the sewers and started running in the direction of the lair, sewage splashing around her. Things seemed to be moving in slow motion. She couldn't make it there fast enough. Weirdly, May felt like she couldn't breathe. Why was the world... tilting? What was that pain in her chest?

With a final, desperate gasp, May fell onto the cement, blacking out.

* * *

It was Leo who found her.

He and Raphael had finished off the Foot soldiers. They were going to call May, but their phones were both dead. They had decided to head back and find May from Donnie's tracker. They had both taken different routes home, Raphael had wanted to see if May had gone the long way.

She hadn't, apparently. She was unconscious barely a few meters from the entrance of the lair. Just from the sight of her, Leo knew something was wrong. She was too still.

Then it hit him. She wasn't _breathing_.

As little as Leo trusted May, she was Raphael's friend and April and Casey's daughter. He flipped her onto her back and started chest compressions. He knew a little CPR, enough to know he could help.

May started coughing suddenly. "Good girl. It's okay. That's it. Just breathe." Leo gently pulled her into a sitting position. "Come on. Let's get you to Donnie." He lifted her into his arms gently.

May was still hardly really conscious. She kinda hung off his neck. "Raphael...?" She squinted up at Leo, her voice wavering.

"It's okay." He brought her into the lair. Raph was already there. Leo could hear him yelling at poor Donnie.

"May I interrupt?" Leo pushed into the lab past Mikey, who had been quietly watching the other two. Raphael's eyes widened, and he took May from Leo, turning to Donnie.

"D... I'm sorry for yelling at you, but could you...?"

Donnie could sense the pleading in Raph's voice. He shared a glance with Leo, before nodding to Raph.

"She wasn't breathing when I found her." Leo told Donnie helpfully.

Donnie nodded, turning to work on May, having Raph set her on his work table. Raph did, but kept his hand under her head, for a pillow, so her head wouldn't be against the hard surface.

Donnie wanted to argue and force everybody out to give himself room to work, but something about the look on his brother's face told him Raph wouldn't leave May, no matter what he was told. So, Donnie worked around him, carefully checking all of May's vital signs.

* * *

A few hours later, Donnie let out a breath. "Okay, good news. She just had a panic attack and fainted from it. She'll wake up soon. She should be fine."

Raph snarled. "Leo said she hadn't been _breathing_ , Donnie! You can't tell me she'll be fine!"

"She's breathing now. It was just part of her brain shutting down from sheer panic. She'll wake up in a day or less."

"What if she doesn't?!" Raph demanded. "What if she stops breathing again?! What if she dies?!"

Donnie took a deep breath. _He's worried. That's the only reason he's being difficult. He's just worried._ "Raphael. I _promise_ that she'll wake up."

Raph looked like he wanted to argue, but didn't. He only turned his attention back to the unconscious girl. With the hand that wasn't supporting her head, he gently twirled a strand of her auburn red hair.

Donnie's heart ached a little. He hadn't seen his brother care about anybody or anything like that. He looked at her like her life was the most precious thing in the world to him. He argued constantly with Leo over whether she was trustworthy or not, and he defended her, no matter what she did.

He gave a half-smile and went to his room to sleep. He was exhausted, having been up pretty late the past few days. He hoped May realized how much Raph cared for her. By the looks of things, he would sacrifice his life for hers.

Donnie just hoped May would make the same sacrifice.


	10. Chapter 10

May groaned. She felt groggy. She slowly opened her eyes. Light blinded her. There wasn't a whole bunch of it, but enough that she just wished the whole world could be plunged in darkness.

The second thing she realized was her head was laying on something... weird. It took a moment to realize it was a hand, and attached to that hand was...

"Raphael!" She gasped.

"Morning, sleepy head," Raphael smirked teasingly. "How are you feeling?"

"Well..." May groaned. "I've been better. What happened? I tried to call you, you wouldn't pick up... I-I thought... I thought..." Tears spilled down May's face. She hadn't realized how scared she'd been.

"Shh... It's okay. I'm here now. Everything's okay." Raphael pulled May onto his lap and hugged her, lovingly stroking her hair to calm her.

May shivered. What would have happened if Raphael had been hurt? What if he had been killed? What would she do without him, without her best friend, the one who loved her more than her own father did? She didn't want to think about it.

"You scared me, too. Leo found you unconscious in the sewers. He said you weren't breathing..." Raphael muttered quietly. "But it's okay now. We're both okay now."

May nodded weakly. "Okay..."

They sat that way for a while, Raphael embracing May protectively as May half-cried, wondering what she would've done without him. Finally, May straightened, wiping her eyes. "Should we... I don't know. Do something?"

"Are you hungry?" Raphael asked, shrugging.

May nodded gratefully, and they made their way to the kitchen for leftover pizza.

* * *

Splinter sat in the small cell. His fur was burned and he was bleeding from multiple gashes. He glared spitefully at the man on the other side of the metal bars.

Oroku Saki smirked back. "So, Yoshi, where are your students? Why have they not come for you yet?"

Splinter snarled. "They would not be foolish enough to fall into your trap, Saki." The defiance masked fear and worry. What if Saki had already killed them, and was toying with him? What if he hadn't, and was torturing them somewhere?

"Wouldn't they? It's a shame, really. If they do not show up by sunrise tomorrow, I'm afraid they won't be seeing their beloved Master again." Saki left, a few guards following in his wake.

Splinter clenched his teeth. He didn't know how long he'd been in this cell, occasionally tortured by Saki and his men, wondering and worrying about his family. He may have been endlessly patient, but even he could be broken eventually. He didn't know how much longer he could bear this, but he hoped he would be rescued before he broke.

* * *

Donnie was in his lab on his computer. Suddenly, a message popped up. Strange. He didn't have a tag for the sender.

At first, he was going to delete the message and mark the sender as spam, when the word _Splinter_ caught his attention. Despite his instincts to protect his computer from bugs and spyware, Donnie opened the message. He gasped upon reading it, and ran to find the others. "Guys! Guys!"

Within minutes, everybody, even May, had read the message. It said that Shredder had Splinter, and would kill him at sunrise if they didn't appear at a certain location.

Leo was skeptical. "Splinter wouldn't want us to risk our lives for him."

"We can't let Shredder kill him, Leo!" Donnie argued.

"Listen. I know its hard, you guys, but we can't. We aren't prepared for battle of any kind, and Shredder would have the upper hand." Leo sighed. "I don't want him to hurt Splinter, but... how do we know he even has him in the first place? He could just be baiting us."

May spoke up. "Can't you bring the truck or something? Set up an emergency ambush?"

"We don't have time for that." Raphael replied, and looked up at Leo. "We can't leave him behind, Leo. If you don't go, I'll go anyway."

Leo bit his lip, and sighed. "Alright. Suit up. May stays behind."

The turtles suited up. May didn't like the idea of staying behind, but she obeyed. They made their way to the address in the message. Nothing but a warehouse that appeared empty.

The door opened. Several foot soldiers surrounded the turtles, but what had their attention the most was Shredder standing there, holding Splinter and smirking at them. "Hello, Turtles."

"Master Splinter!" Leo cried.

"You made a mistake coming here." Shredder looked at Splinter. "I told you they were stupid enough to walk into a trap if you were the bait. Now..." He smirked. "All of you will die here. I hope you'll die satisfied, knowing your sons cared enough to die for you."

Shredder raised his claws.

"NO!" All the turtles cried.

The metal claws plunged into Splinter's chest. Blood dripped out of his mouth and from his chest onto Shredder's arm. Shredder pulled his claws out, and the old rat slumped to the floor, a puddle of purple blood appearing around him. The turtles were shocked for a few moments. Their master, their father. He was dead.

Raphael clenched his teeth and attacked the nearest Foot soldier. His brothers joined in, fighting the Foot soldiers.


	11. Chapter 11

The fight was long and painful. The turtles were outnumbered. Shredder had disappeared, confident his soldiers could kill the turtles.

None of that mattered. None of it.

What mattered now was only the fact that Master Splinter was gone, and that they had to get away. Otherwise, his death was in vain.

The fight was a blur. Every minute, every hour stretched into what felt like hopeless eternity. Every sword that bit at flesh, every throwing star that didn't quite miss its mark, slowed them down. They needed an out. They needed help. But they had nothing.

* * *

Meanwhile, still waiting in the lair, May paced back and forth. They should have been back by now. Something had gone wrong. She had to go help!

But Raphael had said to remain in the lair.

So how far did her loyalty stretch? Did she obey Raphael and stay safe in the lair, while her best (and only) friend was possibly in danger?

Or did she disobey, go and find him, hurting the trust he had given her, but save them?

May bit her lip. "Since when..." She muttered. "Do I put my safety before a fight?"

That was settled, then. She was going. Raphael could forgive her. Even if he didn't, at least she'd have tried.

She couldn't go on foot. May looked around for an idea, before spotting the garbage truck. An idea crept to her mind. Donnie would kill her if she crashed it, or drove it wrong and wrecked something.

Whatever.

May ran to the truck, before realizing she didn't have keys. Sighing, May crawled down to hotwire the truck. She hated hotwiring, but she didn't have time to scramble around looking for keys that were probably with Donnie, anyway.

The truck fired to life. May started driving it towards the secret garage door, flicking the switches that she knew would open it, from watching Donnie. The truck swerved onto the street. May bit her lip. Now what? How was she supposed to-

 **Ring**

Her phone?

 _Don't text and drive. Don't phone and drive. Don't drive with distractions._

"Hello?"

"M-May-" Raphael!

"Raphael... Where are you?" She demanded.

"Don't... Don't w-worry about me. Listen... I n-need to tell you something..."

"Yeah, your location." May snapped. She was not taking this bullshit, not now.

"May, I..." Raphael suddenly started coughing. "I'm s-serious..."

"So am I."

"Look, I- wait... is- is that an engine...?" Raphael sighed. "Al- alright, you win..." Raphael gave May the address.

"That's not far... I'll be there right away." May hung up, turning a corner.

* * *

A blaring light suddenly appeared around the corner. Raphael's brothers were surrounding him, fighting Foot ninja. Raph had been struck in the side with a katana, and was bleeding heavily. Blood seeped out the corner of his mouth. His consciousness was slowly slipping away.

"May..." Donnie heard him mumble.

A manhole cover suddenly appeared from the light, hitting three soldiers consecutively in the head.

"May!" Donnie gasped. Relieved, and a little mad that she had taken his truck, Donnie motioned to his brothers.

Slowly, half-dragging Raph and ducking below the manhole covers shooting out the grill, the turtles retreated to the truck, where, sure enough, May waited, hitting repeatedly the first button she had touched.

Donnie lightly pushed her, and May got out of the driver seat, letting the turtle drive, turning to her friend.

"Raphael!" She gasped, grabbing his hand. Leo was pressing a rag to his brother's side, and Mikey had assumed the front passenger seat.

Leo watched May warily. She looked worried, yes, but she was deceiving. He knew it. There would be a point, a point where she would strike, and Raphael would be left defenceless. Leo would never trust her. They couldn't afford it.

May could feel Leo glaring at her, but didn't care. She _cared_ about Raphael. This wasn't the first time since they had met that he had been injured like this.

May didn't even care that she was showing weakness anymore. She couldn't care less about Leo's distrust. What mattered was Raphael.

 _Please... Please be okay..._


End file.
